Witching Hour: Vices and Virtues

by Trinity Hanrahan, Maggie Jane Schuler, Chris Farmer

Vices and Virtues, just opposite sides of the same coin.

Pride to Humility; Greed to Charity; Sloth to Diligence; Gluttony to Temperance; Envy to Kindness; Wrath to Forgiveness; and last but not least, Lust to Chastity.

All Vices and Virtues are the same; it is how people handle them that display their true nature. Which side of the coin will appear? The darkest of sins and purest of beliefs all blend into shades of gray in our realities.

There are no saints here, not one devout. Just twisted truths no one wants to see. Welcome to the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Dark Virtues one never saw coming.

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories, Mystery

628 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 14, 2017

About the author

I can be found online at:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/trinityhanrahan
Instagram: http://instagram.com/trinity.hanrahan


Trinity lives with her husband and five children in Virginia. She grew up overseas in Turkey and Japan, where her love of reading developed due to a lack of English-speaking television. As her need for written works grew, so did her desire to create worlds for others to enjoy. By the time she was in middle school she had started writing short stories. She endeavors to break the mold where modern stereo-types are concerned and create engaging characters.

When she’s not writing or working, Trinity still enjoys settling down to read a book or doing graphic art in her spare time.

Reviews

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

alright, fam.
I finally made it through this book, and overall I'd say 4 stars.
It's a collection of short stories about the 7 sins & 7 virtues (but the virtues are twisted).
Overall, enjoyable.

But I'm going to be SUPER EXTRA and write a bit on each story. Cuz why not.

Sins of the Flesh by Stacey Broadbent
Gluttony

★★★

Tw; Cannibalism

Pretty decent, I guess.
Woman meets man. Man brings her home. Man has a secret. Woman goes apeshit.
WHEN WILL YOU LEARN?! THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES??

~~~

A Million Clay Wolves by Amber K. Bryant
Greed

★★★1/2

This one was really sad actually.
A girl is a refugee with magical powers. She makes money for her brother by imbuing clay wolves with little charms. Her charms always come true, but not always for the best. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN.

~~~

Confessions of an Honest Man by Cyril Bunt
Chastity

★★1/2

The end of this one was pretty disturbing, but up until that point, its kind of meh.
A man has taken a vow of chastity, battling temptations. He's in court for a double murder. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!

~~~

Do No Harm by J.M Butler
Charity

★★★1/2

Involves vampires. I don't know if saying that would spoil this story, but I TAKE NO CHANCES
Kind of sad.

~~~

Seven Days by Lenore Cheairs
Humility

★★

This one confused the bejeezus outta me.
A man is talking to an audience about how Humility went insane over 7 days.

~~~

Single Minded by Alana Delacroix
Pride

★★★1/2

THIS MOFO! IS SO!! PRIDEFULLL!!! UGH
Butthole McGeekerson works in a lab, trying to use human minds for some sort of data processing thing. Connecting the brains.. I dont even know. I just hate him.

~~~

You Made Me by Chris Farmer
Envy

★★★★

TW; abuse

This one was really good honestly.
I don't wanna give anything away so I'll just say it's about a really messed up man and his son.

~~~

Death Throes by Lisa Goldman
Sloth

★★★★1/2

Fam, I was waiting for sloth cuz I am one LAZY p.o.s.
Rich kid is a lazy douche-canoe. Gets into trouble. Lets down his family. SUFFERS THE CONSEQUENCES!
Princes of hell are involved *eyebrow waggle*

~~~

One Forgives as One Loves by Trinity Hanrahan
Forgiveness

★★★★★

TW; suicide mention, assault mention

REALLY SAD! REALLY AMAZING! LOVE!
A girl often sits outside a prison, picking at the scars on her arms, glad that the bad man (I don't remember his name) is behind bars.
Then she finds out from her family that HE is being released. GASP!
No seriously guys, its really good, and the twist is amazing.

~~~

Caveat Emptor by Kristin Jacques
Diligence

DNF

I'm sorry to say I skipped over this one the minute I read that it started out on a space ship that works in human/alien trafficking.
I'm sure it's really good, I just can't.

~~~

The Devil You Know by Rebecca Nolan
Lust

★★★1/2

THANK YOU REBECCA NOLAN FOR THE DISCLAIMER!!

TW; domestic abuse, sexual assault

This poor woman..
She moves out of her apartment, away from her awful room mates, into a gorgeous mansion with an even MORE gorgeous landlord.
IS IT TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?!?!?!
Yuuup.

~~~

The Pain of a Kindness by Tammy Oja
Kindness

★★★

Eh.. this one was okay! Really creative though!!!
A girl sits in a therapists office, talking about why her mama left, and how "kind" her mama is.

~~~

Hell's Match by Aria Peyton
Forgiveness
Yeah, there's 2 on Forgiveness, I dunno.

★★★★★

I would give this like 20 stars, it was my favorite in the whole book.
AMAZING!!! SEXY!!! HILARIOUS!!!

A lonely woman calls the number off an ad she keeps seeing on tv.
An ad for a matchmaking old lady.
THIS OLD LADY IS NOT WHO SHE SEEMS TO BE!!!

~~~

Evelyn by QT Ruby
Wrath

★★★1/2

This one was pretty fun to read. The ending was a little cheesy though, in my opinion.
Evelyn comes to and she's tied to a chair, in a room she doesn't recognize.
She's pissed af, but she pretty much always is.

~~~

A Sorcerer's Road to Temperance by Maggie Jane Schuler
Temperance

★★★★1/2

WHAT THE FLIP FLAP PADDYWACK, MAGGIE?!
Ok ok. This one ends on a cliffhanger and it is killing me inside.
Started out slow, but ended greaaattt.

Our main character is Temperance, a witch (heavily influenced by Wicca) who works as a bartender and puts little magic spells on the drinks and whatnot.
She gets a job at this new bar in town, and the owner is super hot, but he has secrets. OF. COURSE.

---

Ok guys, if you read this far, I'm amazed. Good work, buddy.
TLDR; this book was pretty decent.
I'd recommend.

Thanks to the publishers & Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mardell Bonasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to read A Sorcerers Road to Temperance by Maggie Jane Schuler. It did not disappoint. Raiden is the owner of a new bar called Tempest in a small Bible belt town. Temperance becomes a bartender, mixing up her own concoctions. Raiden and Temperance's story was one of mystery and intrigue. I would be I interested in reading more of their story, along with the stories of the other authors in this anthology.

[Cori Mcgowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read “One Forgives as One Loves: Forgiveness” by Trinity Hanrahan, I have read her Moment in Time series and I absolutely love them! This is as far from that series as you can get but the story was completely captivating and I really enjoyed seeing the other side of this author. Without giving too many spoilers, I loved that I wasn’t sure where this story was going until close to the end. To me it had a very Poe’ish feel to it and I loved that about it.

This story fits perfectly in this anthology and I recommend reading it as soon as you can! I can’t wait to see what else is in the anthology.

[Lisa Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read A Sorcerers Road to Temperance by Maggie Jane Schuler. A new genre for Maggie and she didn't disappoint with the twists and turns and left me saying MORE, I WANT MORE and so will you after that ending! It begins with Temperance hoping to start work as the new bartender at Tempest, the hottest bar in her quiet little town to try and bring moderation to some of its over indulgent patrons. An insta-connection during her interview with Raiden made her realize there is so much more going on behind the sexy flirting and witty banter but just as she starts working her magic, Raiden's past collides with his future, leaving him to wonder what is brewing among them.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the story, 'A Sorcerer's Road to Temperance' by Maggie Jane Schuler. I was given an ARC for an honest review. I was delighted to find out her story fit the genre I prefer to read. Temperance isn't your typical Midwestern pastor's daughter, she's a Wiccan, and a little less reserved than you'd think. Throw in a hot bar owner who may be looking for a little witchy action, and you've got a smidgen of heat forming between the two. 5 stars. Great story, loved the cast of characters, and, it kept you thinking. A recommended read for sure!

[Stacey Broadbent · Rating 5 out of 5]

*A note from one of the authors*

I had so much fun writing my piece for this anthology! Sins of the Flesh is so different to anything I've written before, and I have to say, it was nice to step out of my comfort zone and go a little dark and twisted.

[Evie Heisskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading "One Forgives as One Loves" by Trinity Hanrahan. I am speechless. I don't want to give away spoilers, so suffice it to say that this is a side of this author I haven't ever read before. All of her work is masterful, draws you in and won't let you go, but this? This is distinctly different than any of her prior work. I am completely impressed with her ability to surprise me and clearly, her talents know no limits. This is a must read for anybody that enjoys fiction with a dark side. Highly recommend this one!!! Bravo, Trinity! Well done!!!

[Book lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of deadly sins

I enjoyed reading this anthology of interesting twists of the seven deadly sins. I recommend this book to supernatural, science fiction, and horror fans looking for bite size treats to read on the go. I shall look for more books like this one.

[Rebecca Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had the opportunity to read quite a few stories from this anthology and all of them have left me wanting more! Really enjoyed Lisa, Trinity and Aria’s stories. They all drew me into worlds of unique characters in worlds that are both intriguing as they are terrifying. I look forward to reading the rest!

[The Endless Unread · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review is for Sins of the Flesh, Gluttony, which was Stacey Broadbent's contribution to the anthology. It was different to the usual stuff I read but wow, I loved it!! She makes you feel like you are right there with the characters and as for that ending......OMG. I did not see that coming. If the rest are as good as this story this will be one hell of an anthology.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is for Hells Match by Aria Peyton. This novella was as good as it gets and left me wanting desperately to read the remainder of this anthology about the deadly sins and the dark virtues. I wont say too much about this story except to say that the heroine is a very canny female who not only knows what it is she wants out of life but also how to get it. Now go and grab a copy of whats sure to be a best seller

[Kylie Skilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Trinity Hanrahan's work for quite some time now. I'm absolutely in love with her in time series so her piece within Vices and Virtues came as a little bit of a pleasant surprise. Suspense and gore is much further from her normal comfort zone but reading this, you would never be able to tell. This short story hits you like a ton of bricks and you will never see the ending coming. A must read for sure!

[Mary S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review for You Made Me by Chris Farmer

This one is definitely a shocking read it is first from this author and I'm looking forward for more of this kind of a story. Here we have a little boy who a bad man try to get rid of but the only thing he did is just like the title name says he made him the man that he become I can say that karma definitely makes us pay for good deeds or bad deeds. I'm looking forward for more from this author.

[Energy Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Sins of the Flesh, Gluttony, which was Stacey Broadbent's contribution to the anthology. It starts with Piper meeting Mark, she hasn't dated in a long time but there is something about Mark that she just can't resist. But Mark has a secret and surprisingly, Piper is more on board with what Mark has planned than what he could have ever anticipated.
Eerie and twisted, Gluttony will leave you with chills at the depth of horror Broadbent brings to the table. A superb read.

[Codie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is for Chris Farmer's You made me. This story was a quick read, it had interesting twists and turns at every angle. You can feel the anger, hate and raw emotion that is felt within. It was dark, raw and powerful the way Farmer has displayed the emotions of both the victim and the man who waited 20 years to get revenge. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! All well written, good introduction to darker writing. Great collection of stories and authors. So many to choose from

[Sil Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

“You made me” by Chris Farmer. Novel size book with a heavy plot, good character development and a detailed story attached to it. This book was all about Envy. Let’s just say without giving too much away that Troy/Cole made sure to never feel it again. Interesting story.

I rcvd a copy for honest opinion.

[Jenniefer Andersson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the chance to read Trinity's One forgives as one loves - I count myself to one of the fortune few to have seen the darker side of Trinity Hanrahan's writing before, and once again she blew me away. There's a fluidity between the aspects of this story that I didn't think about the first time I read it, but noticed more the second time around. The way you feel for the characters and get a feeling for the relationships even in the short span of the story is wonderful and I'm hoping for some darker things from her in the future. 5/5 - absolutely would recommend!

[Anadosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sins will weave you into their webs. They become the Vice you’re unable to shake. There are the values, taught from birth, which ride a razor’s edge. They turn into Dark Virtues, a twisted mockery of their true meaning.Pride, envy, lust, gluttony, anger, greed and sloth all have their place in the tapestry of life. They are the Vices who lost sight of the Virtues: charity, temperance, forgiveness, humility, kindness, chastity and diligence.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.All authors are magnifysent writers.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this books.

[Charlotte Render · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting, the first story for example was not what I was expecting. A lot of these stories start off sweet then have a dark twist to them in the end, it's a pretty cool book if you can handle reading about Gore, and such the like. I don't want to get in to too many details but it definitely has a tw attached to it before you read it.

Received as an ARC from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Ashok · Rating 5 out of 5]

All great stories to give you sleepless nights
It is difficult to say which of these is my favourite. I can only say I would like to read more by each of these authors.

[Madelon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a lot. Lately, I've been reading a lot of new authors, and I use the word authors pretty loosely here.
If you are writing stories and publishing them yourself just because you can, you need to ask yourself, do I have ANYTHING close to a basic command of the language. Apparently, a number of you don't. You also don't have beta readers or editors who can help you over the rough spots. I get it. You are excited to get those words on paper (virtual or otherwise) you are scribbling/typing away and don't realize that you have made some spelling or grammatical faux pas. It's OK to make mistakes while you are writing. It is NOT OK to publish those mistakes.

Prepositions are words (yes, I know, mostly very little words, but still words), and all words have definitions. You don't even need a dictionary anymore to find out what a word means. You have the entire internet at your disposal. Use it! The word "at" is not synonymous with the word "to." If you don't know what these little words mean, look them up. All the online dictionaries will give you examples of proper use.

I get it. You wrote an outline that is not composed of actual sentences. It is NOT OK to copy lines from that outline without reading them to make sure you have actual, coherent sentences. Again, a beta reader and/or an editor will catch these obvious errors. If they appear in the published work, you wrote it, didn't bother to read it, didn't have anyone else read it, and didn't have it edited. Bottom line, if you don't do these thing, you are not a writer. You're not even a hack.

Once you've got that book published and made available to the public, you offer it to people like me. People who read... a lot. People like me who bother to review what they read. You offer it in exchange for an honest review. You really don't want an honest review. You want someone to feel obligated to give your poorly written and unedited piece a 4 or 5-star review.

It is difficult to throw an anthology on the DNF (did not finish) pile because each story contained therein is written by a different person, and you might just be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. If the gem among the paste is buried at the very end of the book, you will have cheated yourself out of that very experience that makes you read in the first place.

Recording a stream of consciousness and then transcribing it does not a piece of literature make. If you want to make your mark in the world of books, read what you wrote, then have others read it, and finally have an editor read it. If you want your profession to be "author," you have to be willing to do everything needed to make people want to read what you have written. Simply putting words on paper, virtual or otherwise, does not an author make. You may have heard that folks will happily pay good money for Stephen King's shopping list. The reason that bit of farce is accepted is that he has paid his dues to the gods of literature.

I glanced at several reviews on Goodreads and found that most of the reviews are for single stories within the anthology and those reviews rate the book at 5-stars. This gives a lot of credit to what, apparently, was never read.

Along with it being difficult to read an overall bad anthology, it is equally difficult to rate one. Yes, this story was readable, and this one was coherent, and finally one was actually worth reading. How do you rate an anthology fairly? Do you give it one star because overall that's what it's worth? Do you rate each story it contains and come up with an average?

It gives me no pleasure writing a bad review, but when a book is bad and an honest review has been requested, you get a bad review. You can look at other reviews, especially those that give a five-star rating, to see if you want to commit to buying this book for the sake of one, two, maybe even three stories out of the fifteen that are showcased.

[Alex Newman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was probably the most interesting book I've ever read. Some of the stories had perfect ideas, awesome characters with dark sides and gripping atmosphere. I totally loved Sins of the Flesh, although it was kind of disgusting and really bloody. Fascinating story!
A Million Clay Wolves was a sad, tragic story, but the plot was amazing. Probably the best story in book. Good stories were also One Forgives as One Loves and Evelyn.
Sadly, a lot of stories were just boring, too long or without good plot. It was disappointing. I think the worst story was Seven Days, because I did not like the theme and because of that, I was bored.

Received as an ARC from #NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

[Jaclyn Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of deadly sins and dark virtues with a twist. I really enjoyed reading this anthology and especially how dark and twisty some of the authors went with their stories. It was a fun quick read and I found some great new authors!!

[Drpsychorat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another pleasing and unusual anthology of horror, psychological and sexy stories that was very difficult to put down. Can’t wait for the next one!

[Casey Bates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some deadly sins

Wow this book was amazing , I loved the stories of each vices and virtues of the seven deadly sins . I read the whole book in no time ..

[Megan Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite a simple anthology, centering all around vices and virtues. Except that it is often twisted, incredibly twisted and different from the original form.

The first story caught my attention by being all about cannibalism, and the idea behind it. As well as the thrall that the main character feels when she does it, eventually to becoming too much. Unique and memorable.

And so were some of the others. Such as Chandler and his tale, regarding him becoming a servant, when he sinned with sloth. Often becoming one of the most intriguing in its concept, and the way it was executed. That there is no way out and he is responsible. He simply learns to deal with it.

Some of the others never made much sense to me. Such as about Humility, and some just faded into my memory. But this does something different, which I don’t see quite often. About the idea of vice and virtues.

Another was Hurricane Evelyn, and the tale behind her. The story that made her be, and the way that she grew when she simply did things her own way. Leading her here.

But the ones which were unforgettable had been mostly vices, which is certainly true. As the spin it takes, are quite gruesome, different and often not something those with a light heart should read.

Overall, I liked it enough. Some of the stories were memorable, but most faded from my memory as it does with most anthologies. A surprising thing was that all of the writers here were all Wattpad writers, which made memorable tales to say the least.

[Karinosa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not even finish this one. I tried then stopped. Then tried another story which turned into a dark twist and was just not my cup of tea. I guess, to each their own.
I received this ARC from the publisher at my request via Net Galley.

[Isabelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried reading the first story and couldn't go past the first page, it was so awkward. I tried the second one, and didn't finish cause i didn't care for the plot or the characters. The third one, i just skimmed through. I decided to DNF, the stories i read didn't really attract me and i was either bored or annoyed while reading.

[Ioanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vices and Virtues is an anthology of short stories, each one tied to a certain deadly sin. It is a collection of dark horror stories from various authors. The concept is overall very good, and some of the stories are quite interesting and well written. However, some of them were too graphic (the first one, for example), verging on the brink of gore, and other were not very interesting overall. All in all, it was a good concept, but it felt like the story picking was not very successful.